Disability and gender with an intersectional approach (Comparative analysis of the United States of America and Turkey)

The purpose of this study is to present constructive and feasible recommendations for women with disabilities to participate actively in social life by making visible their intersectional discrimination situations in the light of the socio-cultural values that shape the disability. The study was based on the question that how to affect the participation of women with disabilities in education and employment who are exposed to the intersectional discrimination at the intersection of two different discrimination bases, such as disability and gender. In this study, which uses historical comparative case study research as a method, intersectional discrimination cases of women with disabilities were discussed in detail in the theoretical framework. Later, in historical process in the case of USA and Turkey, the socio-cultural values that shaped the disability phenomenon, the development of disability policies, the intersectionality studies, the distribution of population with and without disability by general and gender, and the education and employment participation rates of people with disabilities, especially women with disabilities were analyzed comparatively. In the United States, socio-cultural values of individuality, independent life, prohibition of discrimination, and civil rights shape the disability and disability policy. In Turkey, sub-socio-cultural values of assistance for needy people and strong family ties shape the disability and disability policy together with in the EU harmonization process and the implementation of the UN CRPD upper socio-cultural value of human rights and prevention of discrimination. The US has legal statute, which based on discrimination principle, to protect people with disabilities. Yet, in these statutory regulations, the situation of women with disabilities is not mentioned. However, there is an official institution (EEOC) that focuses on intersectional discrimination. Even though Turkey has legal statute on the basis of discrimination against disability, discrimination prevention differs from the US in practice. Its legal statute takes the situation of women with disabilities on board. However, there is no official institution that focuses on intersectional discrimination. On the other hand, women with disabilities in both countries are invisible compared to men with disabilities and women without disabilities.